How to Create an Effective Schedule

Do Schedules Work?

Some time ago I looked at how David Allen's "Getting Things Done" system was
working for me, and pondered over some of the improvements that could be
made. One of the improvements I thought about was the use of a schedule, so I've
been experimenting with them over the past few weeks.

The overall results have been very positive, and although there's still a lot of
improvements that can be made, I'm confident that it's worth the effort.

Why Bother With One?

Structure – A schedule gives you a sense of structure for your day, which
can help you organise your time and resources.

Helps you focus – You'll constantly be looking at your goals and projects
in order to put together your schedule, which helps prevent them from being
overlooked or forgotten.

Highlights your limits – This might seem like a strange thing to mention,
but being able to see your limits is very helpful when you're planning your
working week. We'd all like to be able to do more in less time, but seeing
how long tasks actually take can stop you from overloading yourself and
burning out.

Creating a Simple Schedule

Here are a few recommendations to help you when you're creating your schedule:

Create it the night before – Creating your schedule the night before
gives your subconscious time to process everything on it whilst you
sleep. It also means you're able to get on with your work as soon as your
day starts, instead of having to figure out what needs doing first.

Use large blocks – Don't divide the day into chunks that are too
small. Hourly blocks are generally large enough, but it can take time to get
into the flow state required by some tasks so you may need 90 minute or 2
hour blocks.

Group similar tasks – If you have a lot of small, similar tasks, it's
best to stick them all in a half hour group and just dash through
them. Clearing up all of these small tasks will give you a sense of
satisfaction and leave you feeling energised.

Schedule your rest and relaxation – Working for long periods without a
break will eventually take its toll, so schedule some time to get up and
have a walk around. If you're an early rise, you may also want to schedule a
30 minute nap around lunch time. This can give a much needed boost of
energy, and will stop you flagging later in the day.

Keep it flexible – It's very difficult to predict how long each task will
take, so make sure your schedule is flexible and can cope with a reasonable
amount of unexpected delays. One important point: don't fall into the trap
of using your relaxation time as a "buffer" zone. Relaxation time should not
be seen as something that is a luxury, and should be treated as important as
any other activity.

Know your limits – We'd all like to be able to get more done, but it's
important not to overestimate how much you can physically do. If you don't
give large tasks enough time, you risk creating a backlog as the day goes on
which will bog down your mind and demotivate you.

You may need a few days to get into the groove of using a schedule, but
the more often you do it the more proficient you will become.

Optional Extras

As you'll notice from the rather colourful photo, I colour coded the tasks on my
schedule. I tried two main methods of colour coding during the trial.

The first method I tried was to colour code by category. This seemed like a
logical idea at first, as I could see which projects were getting the most
attention and which were being neglected. I soon realised that I would run out
of colours if I used a different colour for each project! I modified the system
slightly to use colours for more general categories, such as "computer
projects", "business projects" and "personal projects".

After a few weeks of this system, I switched to colour coding by priority. I
used the Covey Quadrant style categorisation for this method. If you're not
familiar with Covey's four categories, they are:

Important and Not Urgent – Tasks that need to be done, but aren't
particularly urgent. This is the area your should spend most of your time
on.

Not Important and Urgent – Things like some phone calls and meetings.

Not Important and Not Urgent – You should look carefully to see if these
activities are worth doing at all.

So far this method has worked the best, as it forces me to look at the bigger
picture and to be more careful about where I spend my time. It might seem like a
clash between the relatively priority free GTD system and the rigid quadrant
based thinking, but really helps to keep a tight focus on what is important and
what isn't.

Future Improvements

Although using the quadrant method of sorting tasks worked well, I think there
is room for improvement. I tent to think that most tasks are important or they
wouldn't be scheduled, so it's pointless to classify everything as a quadrant
two task. One method I'd like to try out is Steve Pavlina's 50-30-20 rule (the
Pavlina Pyramid?) for sorting tasks. These segments are:

A Tasks – These are tasks that will yield significant benefits over a 5
year timespan (and beyond).

B Tasks – Tasks that will bring benefits over the next 2 years or less.

C Tasks –These will only bring improvements in the short term, and
probably won't be remembered further down the line. However, ignoring them
could cause problems at a later date.

You'll notice his system of prioritising is much more focused on long term goals
and benefits, which can often be left behind in the rush to get something
complete.

4 Comments

Very interesting post that makes a strong case for the benefits of
making a schedule. Like you say, everyone wants to do more in less time,
but being pro-active about it has its own benefits.

It reminded me of a story I recently read where people were recommended
to write down their six most important tasks to accomplish the next day.
Every task they didn't finish had to be put on the next day's list and
so on. This way it's probably very easy to see the work accumulate, and
I can imagine with your system there's a similar sense of satisfaction
when you get something done.

I think you're also right to stress two important things: relaxation
time is fundamental, and that you have to practise to see the results.
Stick to the schedule and I'm sure you'll be getting things done much
more quickly and satisfactorily!